Process for the manufacture of sugar.



OMA. CARE, OF AS H EV ILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OMA CARR, aresident of the city of Asheville, county of Buncombe, State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Process for the Manufacture of Sugar, of which the following is a true and clear specification.

The juices of sugar-producing plants sugar-cane, sorghum, beets-contain, in addition to sucrose and reducing-sugars, numerous non-sugars which constitute the impurities, the removal of which is the object of the clarification steps in the conventional processes for manufacture of sugar. In these conventional processes the sucrose, or cane-sugar, is recovered from the juice-by subjecting. the juice to clarification processes in the wet way (liming, sulfuring, -fil-v ter-pressing, super-heating, etc), and then evaporating the juice, by multiple and single-efiect evaporators, to a density at which the sucrose crystallizes out, centrifugal force then being applied to separate the sucrosecrystals from the adhering molasses,

which 'contains the amorphous and uncrystallizable impurities. The molasses so secured is again evaporated until further quantities of sucrose crystallize out, the centrifugal process then being applied to separate these crystals, or seconds. Thirds are often secured by a further boiling down and crystallizing of'the sucrose. Such successive crystallizings proceeded until further crystallizing is impeded'by the presence of the impurities, which exercise a inelassigenic or anticrystallizing action on the remaining sucrose; the remaining sucrose appearing in the final molasses in a condition which makes it suitable only for lowvalue uses.

In all sugar canes, such as tropical sugar-cane and sorghum, and also in beets, a variable quantity of reducing-sugars is associated with the sucrose-levulose, dextrose, glucose, etc. These reducing-sugars do not crystallize with the sucrose, and they gradually accumulate in the successive molasses, undergoing changes of nature, until they appear in the final molasses, suitable only for sundry low-value uses.

By my process, I propose to recovennot only the sucrose, but likewise the reducingsugars, in such associated form that they will be-suitable for high-value uses. This I accomplish, for example, thus: The extracted juice (from diffusion-battery or roller- Speeification of Letters Yatent.

PatentedOct. 17, 1916.

Application filed September 9, 1914. Serial No. 860,826.

mill) is mechanically cleaned through screens or otherwise, and then atomized into an air-chamber where the moisture is absorbed by the air, the solids of the juice being collected as adry powder; this powder is then lixiviated with a solution which dissolves the sugars, leaving the impurities (which have been-set by the act of bringing to dryness) in the residue; the sugarshigher grade of sugar is desired, the juice prior to first drying maybe treated by any conventional'method to increase the insolubility of the impurities after drying, and the 4 sugars-solution after lixiviation may be still further treated to reduce the impurities or color, orboth, prior. to final drying. Numerous manipulations before first drying, variations in the compositionof the lixiviation solvent, and manipulations of the sugarssolution after lixiviation, may be applied, for making final. product to meet particular requirements. Y The non-sugars contained in such juices when freshly extractedfrom the plant possess the quality of becoming almost wholly insoluble if'j-hroughtfto a state of dryness quickly and without applicationof' heat in high degree. In conventional processes of clarification, the juices are subjected to heat over long periods during liming, super-heating, evaporating, etc, and the organic nonsugars undergo many complex changes, while the sucrose is sensibly converted into reducing-sugar, and the reducing-sugars are in considerable degree broken down into other products. Alltl iese changes, which react eventually upon the yield of sucrose, are avoided in my process, which may be applied upon the cold fresh juice; the time in the atomizer-drier being very'short-from one to three minutes-and the degree of heat very moderate, and subsequent manipulations may be entirely in the cold. 1 The principle of my invention is: Reduce the solids of the'juice to dryness in an atomizer-drier, dissolve the sugars from the dried mass,and reduce the sugars-solution to dryness for final product. Several applications of this principle, with manipulations designed to make final product of specified Character, may here be cited. For example, sugars of highest purity and white 5 ness will be secured thus: The extracted juice is mechanically cleaned and an appro priate quantity of lime added, stirring to secure homogeneous action; the juice so treated is dried in the atomizer-drier; cold 1 50% alcohol is used for lixiviating, the alcohol recovered and the water-solution of the sugars subjected to osmose for removal of the salts; the osmosed liquor is then sulfured or bone-blacked and reduced to dryness. Another manipulation, making white sugars, is as follows: To the extracted juice an appropriate quantity of aluminum sulfate is added, stirring to secure homogeneous action; then lime is added in proper proportion to take up the sulfuric acid, freeing the aluminum oxid; the whole is then dried in the atomizer-drier; the dried powder is lixiviated with cold water and the solution osmosed to remove salts; the osmosed solution, sulfured or blacked, is reduced to dryness. Another manipulation:

The juice is dried in the atomizer-drier; thedry powder is lixiviated with water carry- Y ing an appropriate quantity of lime, the lime going forward into the lixiviation solution is removed by carbonation, and the sugars-solution, sulfured or blacked, carried todryness. A variety of manipulations, based upon the power of metallic salts to render the organic non-sugars insoluble, the

excess of metal being converted into insoluble condition, then drying to secure absolute insolubility, and lixiviatlng with alcohol of appropriate strength, suggest themselves, and yield products absolutely free of metal.

hus a number of manipulations are practicable, observing the principle of reducing to dryness to secure the effect of rendering .the impurities as much insoluble as possible prior to lixiviation; While a variet of solvents for the lixiviation are availab e.

It will be understood that where I describe the impurities in the natural juice as being rendered insoluble by the atomizing treatment, I do not mean that these impurities'are necessarily rendered insoluble from a chemical standpoint, but simply that they shall be sufliciently set to be insoluble in the water or other solvent that is used for 5 dissolving out the sugars from the powdery mass. A I

It will also be understood that so far as the preliminary treatment (2'. e., treatment before atomization) of the juice is concorned, that treatment may or may. not be resorted to according to .the nature of the juice being operated upbn and the grade or nature of the product desired.- This lime or other preliminary treatment will be resorted to especially where a high grade product is desired, but it may be practised in any case where either it is desired or necessary to render insoluble a-portion or all of the impurities. It is not believed to be practical or economical' to attempt to set all the impurities by any preliminary treatment in I the wet way, and, therefore, the atomization treatment or step will not only serve to throw down the impurities already set, but also serve to set those which have escaped the chemical treatment. It is conceivable, however, that, especially with some juices and certain metallic salts, this preliminary setting treatment will set practically all the impurities, in which case the atomizing of the juice thus treated will simply serve to reduce the solids to a state (i. 6. dry powder) in which the sugars may be readily lixiviated in solution away from the impurities.

For some purposes it will be sufiicient to treat the-original juice by suitable chemical precipitants of the impurities and carry the whole to only partial dryness or heavy liquid state, to secure an adequate condition of insolubility in the impurities prior to lixivat'ion. for removal of the sugars. Some of the metallic salts form precipitates with the impurities of the juice of suchlight and fiocculent character in the thin juice that their removal by .direct filtration or sedimentation is impossible for practical purposes, whereas bringing the mixture of juice and precipitate to a semi-liquid condition causes coagulation of the precipitate and I thus permits its ready separation in the subsequent lixiviation. In such circumstances, the partial drying of the juice and treating material serves the same purpose as com-. plete dryness.

It will be observed that when the sugarssolution is reduced to dryness by the atom izer method above suggested, the powdery mass thus produced will be composed of 7 sucrose and inert sugars which were present in the juice used. For a great many industrial purposes this mixed sugar is suitable and satisfactory. There are, however,

numerous industrial and domestic demands fora commercially pure sucrose or granulated sugar, which it is practicable to produce by the addition of another step to my process, which step is well known in the art of sugar making. If this granulated sugar is desired, the lixiviated sugars-solution may be evaporated to the crystallizing point of the sucrose and the grain built up to the desired size, in the Well known manner, or, the sugars-solution may be evaporated to the crystallizing point and the syrup thus obtained placed in a crystallizer, or agitating tank, and the sugars powder added continuously or intermittently to feed the grain and thus grow it to the point desired.

What I claim is:

1. The method herein described of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in evaporating the juice to dryness to thereby eliminate the water and leave the sugars and impurities in a dry powdery mass, then dissolving the sugars out from said dry mass and thus eliminating the impurities, and then treating the sugars-solution thus obtained to separate the sugars from the solvent.

2. The method herein described of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in evaporating the juice to dryness to thereby eliminate the water .and leave the sugars and impurities inv a dry powdery mass, then dissolving the sugars out from said dry mass and thus eliminating the impurities, and then evaporating the sugars-solution thus obtained to dryness.

3. The process herein described for the manufacture of sugar from sugar juice, consisting in treating the juice to render the impurities therein of maximum insolubility, then evaporating the juice to dryness to thereby eliminate the water and leave the sugars and impurities in a dry powdery mass, then dissolving the sugars out from said dry mass and thus eliminating the impurities, and then evaporating the sugars-solution thus obtained to dryness.

4. The process hereby described of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in treating the juice to render the impurities of maximum insolubility, evaporating the juice to powdery'dryness, then dissolving the sugars from the powdery mass thus obtained, then purifying the sugars-solution and then evaporating the sugars-solution to dryness.

5. The process herein described of manu facturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in treating the juice to render the impurities of maximum insolubility, then evaporating the juice to a powdery mass by atomizing treatment, then dissolving the sugars from the powdery mass by means of a solvent con taining a substance which decreases thc solvent action on the impurities in the dry mass, and then evaporating the sugars-solution to dryness.

6. The process herein described of manufacturing sugar from sugar uice, consisting in evaporating the juice to a powdery mass by atomizing the same, then dissolving the sugars from the dried mass thus obtained by means of a solvent which decreases the solvent action on the impurities in the dried mass, and then evaporating the sugars-solution to dryness.

8. The process of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in eliminating the water from the juice and simultaneously bringing the solids in the juice to a dry powder form, then dissolving the sugars from the dried mass thus obtained by means of a solvent which decreases the solvent action on the impurities in the dried mass, then purifying the sugars-solution, and finally evaporating the solvent from the sugars-solution.

9. The process of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in treating the juice to render the impurities therein of maximum insolubility, then evaporating the juice sufficiently to set the impurities, then dissolving the sugars out from the concentrate thus formed and separating the impurities, and then evaporating the sugarssolution thus obtained to dryness.

10. The method herein described of manufacturing sugar from sugar juice, consisting in evaporating the juice to dryness to thereby eliminate the water and leave the sugars and impurities in a dry powdery mass, then dissolving the sugars out from said dry mass and thus eliminating the impurities, and then crystallizing the sucrose from the sugarssolution. 4

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OMA CARR.

Witnesses: I

Enw. C. SOHIFFMACHER, F. M. NEs'rLnR. 

